Remember These 11 Most-Requested "TRL" Videos?

We bet many of you remember every word and scene from these music videos, all of which climbed to the No. 1 spot during the 10-year run of MTV's "Total Request Live"

Brian Haack

GRAMMYs

Aug 2, 2017 - 5:12 pm

GRAMMY.com

The cat is officially out of the bag on MTV bringing back its long-dormant flagship music video program, "Total Request Live," after a near 10-year hiatus. The waves of nostalgia are starting to come on heavy — it does bring back memories.

We've cracked into the not-so-secret vaults of "TRL" royalty and picked 11 fan-favorite No. 1 videos we guarantee many of you watched at least 1,000 times — and still couldn't wait to see again. Take a look, take a listen and you might be surprised how many sets of lyrics you know by heart.

"Larger Than Life," Backstreet Boys

The runner-up for title of longest-reigning No. 1 video in "TRL" history was the Backstreet Boys' catchy musical thank you note to their fanbase, "Larger Than Life." It was the most-requested video in "TRL" history before being usurped by their later video for "Shape Of My Heart." With production costs totaling more than $2.1 million for the CGI-heavy sci-fi stylings, "Larger Than Life" also places high on the list of the most-expensive music videos of all time.

"Bye Bye Bye," 'N Sync

The continuous battle of the boy bands between 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys during the early '00s saw the two groups jockeying for the top spot on the totem pole of "TRL"'s most-requested list. "Bye Bye Bye" came in third place overall, just barely beaten out by the Backstreet Boys' "Larger Than Life." Despite having fewer total days in the top spot, "Bye Bye Bye" does hold the second-longest streak for most consecutive days (25) at No. 1 in "TRL" history. "Bye Bye Bye" also charted at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned two GRAMMY nominations, including Record Of The Year, at the 43rd GRAMMY Awards.

"Yeah!," Usher feat. Ludacris and Lil Jon

Let's go back to a simpler time. The year was 2004 andLil Jon was well into his rise to worldwide fame and hard at work spreading the gospel of crunk. Your social stature among your closest friends would rise three points if could prove you knew every line of Ludacris' verse on "Yeah!" by heart. (And chances are many of you still know it.) Along with topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 12 consecutive weeks, the song netted both Ludacris and Lil Jon their first GRAMMYs as well as one for Usher at the 47th GRAMMY Awards. Now take that, and rewind it back.

"The Anthem," Good Charlotte

One of Good Charlotte's most popular and ubiquitously licensed songs of the early '00s, it's ironic to learn that "The Anthem" was originally an intended film theme song, but ended up not getting used. Despite humble beginnings, the band's "loser anthem" would be tapped for countless film, TV and video game placements over the coming years. Good Charlotte enlisted some friends from pop-punk groups Mest and Home Grown for cameos in the video, and the members of New Found Glory were reportedly on set as well. "The Anthem" grabbed 23 nonconsecutive days as the No. 1 most-requested video on "TRL."

"Like Toy Soldiers," Eminem

An almost uncharacteristically mature turn for an artist whose early public persona was built on poking the bear of public opinion at every opportunity — often at all costs — "Like Toy Soldiers" saw Eminem attempt to take the high road on the current state of hip-hop and some of his ongoing feuds with rival artists. He took a calculated gamble with the song's hook sample in the days when Kanye West was still working to prove his style of pitch-shifted anthemic pop samples, but "Like Toy Soldiers" won over music critics. NMEcalled the song "perhaps hip-hop's first genuine lighters-in-the-air stadium anthem."

"Cry Me A River," Justin Timberlake feat. Timbaland

Time is a face on the water, you can never take back a mistake once you've made it, and you will never listen to Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me A River" again for the first time. The standout track from Timberlake's GRAMMY-winning debut album, Justified, it won Timberlake one of the first of his many career GRAMMYs at the 46th GRAMMY Awards, and marked the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration with producer Timbaland. The song's music video purposefully worked to undermine the squeaky-clean persona Timberlake accrued from his years with 'N Sync by painting him as a voyeuristic and vengeful spurned lover with a penchant for smashing windows.

"… Baby One More Time," Britney Spears

Britney Spears is arguably the Queen of "TRL": She had a total of 14 videos air on the show and "… Baby One More Time" was the first and most memorable. Literally. It took the show's No. 1 spot on its final most-iconic videos of all-time countdown and is the last video the show ever aired. As the title track from her debut album, the music video features an innocent Spears in a Catholic schoolgirl get-up dancing her heart out. It was a smashing debut for the young singer. The catchy tune went to No. 1 on the charts, and helped earned Spears her first career GRAMMY nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 42nd GRAMMY Awards in 2000.

"Hey Ya!," OutKast

A GRAMMY-winning song from an Album Of The Year GRAMMY-winning album. The video for "Hey Ya!" flips the script on the Beatles' first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," showing OutKast frontman André 3000 as all eight members of the fictional band the Love Below during their first U.K. TV appearance. The video's two-day shoot was a marathon for André. Since he played all eight band members and the performance was shot from several angles, he ended up performing the song some 23 times in a row, leaving him totally exhausted. Fun fact: The decision to release "Hey Ya!" as a single was last minute, and André 3000 improvised most of the video's dance moves, as there had been no time to lay out the choreography. "Hey Ya!" made it to No. 10 on the final "TRL" most-iconic videos of all time list.

"Since U Been Gone," Kelly Clarkson

The lead single from inaugural "American Idol" contest winner Kelly Clarkson's sophomore album came packaged as a fun rock video showing the singer getting revenge on a former lover by trashing his new lady's house. Interestingly enough, "Since U Been Gone" was shopped around to several bigger name artists, including Pink and Hillary Duff, before Clive Davis convinced the track's writer/producers Max Martin and Dr. Luke to take a chance on Clarkson. The chance obviously paid off, as Clarkson went on to win the GRAMMY for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the song at the 48th GRAMMY Awards.

"Complicated," Avril Lavigne

This debut single from a then-18 year-old Avril Lavigne was inescapable in 2002, so it's no surprise the music video became a "TRL" No. 1 shortly after its release. Shot at Los Angeles' Eagle Rock Plaza Mall with real-life mall patrons and customers in the background, the video introduced the world to the young Canadian singer's skate-punk stylings and positioned her as a driving force for both the fledgling pop-punk genre and for female-fronted pop music that traded on the punk aesthetic. The song earned the singer two GRAMMY nominations at the 45th GRAMMY Awards.

"Helena," My Chemical Romance

Bring your feelings, because we're taking a trip down memory lane. My Chemical Romance's early fame is surely thanks in part to the strength of the music videos for "Helena" and "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)." Many of the funeral attendees shown in the video and a casket pallbearer were fans who answered an email to appear in the music video. The pouring rain outside the church near the end of the video was not planned for, but worked out well for the video's overall look and feel. The song climbed to No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the music video was No. 1 most-requested on TRL for a total of 15 days. "So long, and good night."

The pop diva is set to make her first appearance on the annual NYE celebration since 2002

Brian Haack

GRAMMYs

Dec 21, 2017 - 12:47 pm

As the capstone performance to a four-year residency in Las Vegas, Britney Spears will join the lineup for "Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2018" on Dec. 31.

Spears' performance will be broadcast live from Axis Theater in the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino, where the GRAMMY-winning pop diva has held court in Las Vegas since 2013.

The five-and-a-half-hour broadcast will feature separate countdowns in Los Angeles and New Orleans, respectively hosted by Ciara and Lucy Hale, along with the main countdown broadcast from New York's Times Square, anchored by Ryan Seacrest and Jenny McCarthy.

"TRL" Returns: MTV Giving Away Ed Sheeran 2018 Tour Tickets

MTV's "Total Request Live" has officially returned, and the show's very first special guest had a big surprise for one lucky fan on his way into the brand-new "TRL" studios in Times Square yesterday.

Feb 17, 2016 – 4:50 pm

Ed Sheeran Wins Best Pop Solo Performance

The rebooted show's first major guest was none other than GRAMMY winner Ed Sheeran, and as he walked through a screaming crowd to enter the new studio, he picked a fan at random and gifted then with tickets to their hometown show on his upcoming 2018 stadium tour.

Following the show, MTV announced that it would be following the singer/songwriter's lead by giving away pairs of tickets to every single upcoming U.S. date of Sheeran's tour.

The contest will be run via MTV's Instagram account, and the network plans to drop questions related to happenings on this week's daily episodes of "TRL." The answers to the questions will spell out a secret word related to Sheeran's career. Fans must then comment on the posts with the answer and their preferred city.

The contest will run until Oct. 20. Full details are available on MTV's website.

Lil Uzi Vert, Noah Cyrus, Demi Lovato Set For "TRL"s First Week

The classic music video request program returns next week after a nine-year hiatus

Brian Haack

GRAMMYs

Sep 27, 2017 - 6:28 pm

Next Monday, Oct. 2, will mark the long-awaited return of MTV's daily music video countdown program "Total Request Live," and the network is reporting that the show has an exciting lineup of guests planned for its first week back.

Sep 14, 2017 – 10:09 am

Noah Cyrus: Writing 'Better Me' With Her Father

"TRL" has been on hiatus since 2008, so MTV has brought out the big guns for the inaugural week of the show's reboot. Already announced as guests are Ed Sheeran and Migos for the first episode on Oct. 2, with Noah Cyrus, Playboi Carti, Demi Lovato, and Lil Uzi Vert all stopping by on Wednesday, Oct. 4.

The original version of "TRL" was so popular because it gave young people a vote on which of their favorite music videos might get to rule the airwaves for days, weeks, or even months at a time. Speaking on the return of the program, network President Chris McCarthy has said, "MTV at its best … is about amplifying young people's voices."

Clearly, MTV has high hopes the rebirth of "Total Request Live" will signal the network's return to the roots of what originally made it a musical powerhouse and cross-cultural launch pad.

Coming off the acclaimed back-to-back releases of TheSlim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP in 1999 and 2000, respectively, Eminem was under substantial pressure to keep the hype train rolling. His previous albums carried trademark touches of couching personal reflections beneath a veneer of "f*** the world" bravado mixed with in-your-face shock-rap lyricism. With The Eminem Show, Em kept his perverse sense of humor but ratcheted his autobiographical introspection up to 11.

With 15 years in the rearview, Eminem's shock jabs and sexual innuendos seem a lot tamer than they did in 2002. Even in the face of his reputation at the time as the sonic boogeyman of white American suburbs, many contemporary critics managed to recognize his effort for what it was: the work of a calmer, more focused artist at the top of his game. Writing for Slant Magazine in 2002, reviewer Sal Cinquemani commented, "The album displays a — dare I say it? — more 'mature' Eminem."

To celebrate the album's 15-year milestone, we've gathered some facts about the record you may find surprising.

Battling bootleggers

In the nascent years of peer-to-peer file sharing, major players of the bootlegging underground began stealing records, ripping them to MP3 and uploading them to file-sharing outlets online thanks to infiltrators working at various levels of major labels' manufacturing and supply chains. (More info on this age of piracy can be found in Stephen Witt's excellent book How Music Got Free). The Eminem Show was just one of many sought-after records that was stolen and made available for download online a full 25 days before the album's intended release, prompting Interscope to bump the release date to May 28. Many stores had the album in stock the previous weekend, and consequently began selling the record on May 26, 2002. The promotional posters that accompanied the new release read, "America Couldn't Wait."

Record-breaking sales

Despite the conditions under which the album was made available for sale, the record sold 284,000 in its first 24 hours and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It became the first album in history to debut at No. 1 with only one sales day counting toward its first-week availability. The album's first full week on shelves saw sales figures of more than 1.3 million copies, and it eventually became the best-selling album of 2002 in the U.S. To date it has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, earning diamond certification from the RIAA.

Censorship and slip-ups

For commercial reasons, the 'clean' versions of the album were more sanitized, with seven additional swear words previously allowed to pass on the The Slim Shady & The Marshall Mathers LPs being targeted for removal via sound effects or backmasking. In several cases, entire sentences were eliminated, as they could not otherwise be effectively censored. Furthermore, in some early clean versions of the record, the entire ninth track, "Drips," was removed and replaced with four seconds of silence. On these heavily censored versions of the album, at least five instances of Eminem saying f***, m*********er and b**** were left audible, while several sections that did not contain swearing or obvious profanity were backmasked.

Self-production and '70s styling

No doubt adding to the deeply personal and more mature sound and feel of the album, Eminem took a more active role for The Eminem Show, self-producing roughly 90 percent of the album. Eminem's longtime musical collaborator Jeff Bass was on hand to help build the tracks for the album's main singles: Dr. Dre acted as the album's executive producer and also crafted three of the record's B-sides. Stylistically, Eminem said he sought to fuse typical hip-hop sounds with the sonic energy of '70s rock, mixing guitar-driven melodies with rap rhythms. "Sing For The Moment," for example, contains a notable sample of Aerosmith's "Dream On," as well as a reinterpretation of its classic guitar solo. So much of the sample was used as the hook for "Sing For The Moment" that the album liner notes list Steven Tyler as a contributing songwriter. Another rock sample that made the cut for the album is the bombastic kick-clap beat of "'Till I Collapse," which is an interpolation of the intro from Queen's GRAMMY Hall Of Fame-inducted "We Will Rock You."

Awards and influence

The Eminem Show received five nominations at the 45th GRAMMY Awards, bringing home two wins for Best Rap Album and Best Short Form Music Video for "Without Me." The album was Eminem's third consecutive LP to win Best Rap Album, and his third win in the category in a four-year span. To date, he is the winningest artist in the Best Rap Album category, having won six times. He has been nominated for Album Of The Year for his solo work three times, including a nod for The Eminem Show. In his acceptance speech for Best Rap Album at the 45th GRAMMYs, Eminem broke from tradition and instead of thanking his family, friends and contributors, he read a list of the artists and MCs who inspired him to pursue a career in music.

Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.